Requiem of a Monster
by aswiftlytiltingreality
Summary: Reavers aren't the only thing to fear in the Verse. The Paleman, he has come. Rayne, Kaylee/Simon, etc. post BDM. cannonish.
1. The Paleman, he has come

**I own nothing.**

* * *

_Earth was not the only planet able to sustain life naturally. There were in fact, several in various galaxies across 'verse after 'verse. Like the humans, they also left to expand and, in turn, there were many wars. This led to the victory over many by few-few who believed that if they were good enough to rule, they were good enough to become immortal and become the very gods themselves. They created fountain after fountain to obtain youth, grew garden after garden of golden apple, but none of them gave them the affect they were searching for. Their race dying out from old age and civil war amongst the conquered, they began to search the 'verses for someone or something that could show them the way. _

_A vaccine was created, believed to be the solution to all their problems. It wiped out more than seventy-five percent of their population, killing all children and almost the entire female population. All hope was lost until one ship ventured too far into one very small corner of the 'verse. They had never seen a human before. So similar yet so different. They were the perfect Guinea pigs for the experiment. Their new lab rats were transported to a larger ship where they were poked and prodded, drugged, tortured, bred. One of the tests had exemplary results. The vaccine-the vaccine that had once been a plague upon its people, was the Saviour of humankind. It was a symbiotic virus. One who was infected with it was impervious to all sickness, tissue regeneration was remarkable, and the aging process was all but extinguished. _

_The answering of questions led to the creation of new questions. How could this vaccine be used to their benefit? Further testing was required and a new boogieman arose along the rim: the Paleman, the Devilman would come and take you away if you did not behave. And he was indeed the devil. Though how one knew he was pale is hard for one to understand as these devilmen are light sensitive. With skin the color of Talcum powder, eyes of pink smoke, and teeth like razors they came to be feared more than Reavers. Those who were said to be taken by them were never seen again. How people knew how they looked, was a mystery for a time. Some said they crept into your dreams. Those people were right. _

_Some had knowledge of them from the beginning. Once they were stripped and cleaned and their senses expanded, they could feel the clammy white hands of horrific death close around their throats. They could hear their feral screams that echoed through the night. Worst of all they could see their intentions, the ways they planned to infiltrate and invade. Their intentions were thick sheets of ice that numbed the body and forced them into submission. No matter how they cried and screamed for help, no one would come. For what weight is to be found within the words of the insane?_

_Smoky pink eyes bored into their souls and refused to vacate. The Palemen saw them just as they saw the Palemen and the sound of the Palemen's fingernails screeching against glass went unheard for years, until finally, someone else heard them and believed. _

* * *

A/N: am i ever a glutton for punishment. yeah, i'm in the middle of writing five other stories, but this came to me while i was asleep after a long round of call of duty and it is literally the stuff dreams are made of...except in my dream animal mother was there instead of jayne and he gave me a blueberry muffin to make me feel better...don't ask. but anyway, the initial dream is what sparked this whole thing and i was forced to ask myself "can i actually write this?" my answer. "probably not, but boy will have a hell of a time doing so." so here it is, the prologue if you will. 


	2. Dead in the Water

**I own nothing.**

* * *

It was the way they were now. They ignored each other. He wasn't there and she wasn't there. Except in fights. Together, they were beautiful, like the poetry of water. He was the rushing rapids while she was the soft yet powerful whisper of a far of waterfall. In fights, they acknowledged one another, kept the other safe. Yet, when the blood was spilled and victory was celebrated, they became invisible to one another once more. It was easier that way. It was easier because it hadn't always been that way. 

It had started with the deaths, the funeral. He was hurt more than he let on, she was trying to understand where it had been coming from-the feelings. That was the catalyst. She had studied without prying just as he had studied her without looking. The day he did look, she broke somewhere, became incomprehensible once more.

It was the first time she had been there, pressed against the row of lockers in the ammunitions closest, their voices muffled by the close proximity of my engine. I made sure to be extra loud so as to keep my doctor from hearing. I watched, I listened. They were strange to me-not themselves, so confused and unsure of where they were going. It is silly that the man whom they call God does not program a set amount of coordinates into them so that they may not veer off course. The Captain, he veers off to the left often, he hardly ever rights himself.

As uncomprehending as they were, as lost and confused, I think I understood. It is what my Guide used to call good and right when he thought of his wife, the Quiet One. It happened for only two months before the raging Bull and my Mind's Eye parted ways. There was no more watching, no more listening. Had they been fighting? There had been no words or blood, no anger. It was like the fighting that my Guide and the Quiet One had done so very often. It was the type of fighting the raging Bull did while docked, but even then I could feel his anger. So why did he not feel anger toward my Mind's Eye? How was she different? When I asked her, she said it was not important. Her statement proved contradictory when she cried later that night. She cried every night. Like the Pretty Lady the Captain wants, but hurts so very often. I tried to ask the raging Bull, but he was too busy cleaning his new guns and taking them up over the other women he had in his bunk. When I knocked a couple down, he didn't mind, he threw them in the trash. When he told himself it was because they didn't do anything for him anymore and he needed new ones, my Mind's Eye cried. He punched me. It doesn't hurt and because I cannot talk to him, or show him how I feel, I understand his need to release his anger by attacking. At night, I wrap him in my warmth and hum him to sleep. My Mind's Eye never sleeps. They never let her sleep. She would if he would let her come to him, if she would let herself go to him. She does not want him and he does not want her. It is enough that they are.

* * *

I ain't one ta pick fights with Jayne, that's L'il River's job. But the day they stopped talkin', stopped lookin' at one another an' right out ignored each other, was a mite scary. It made sense ta myself an' Zoe, gave the Doc a bit o' comfort ta know my hired muscle weren't in mind ta do the two o' 'em a bit o' harm an' generally made life out in the black a lot less stressful. 

That is, until the first fight. Jayne ain't a mind reader an' L'il River even tol' me bein' in the merc's head hurt somethin' fierce. Which is why I can't conjure no reason as ta why the two a' them knew where the other was, felt the need ta protect one another. Maybe it were instinct. But the minute that fight was o'er, it was back ta ignorin' one another. Ain't nothin' in this 'verse that rightly makes sense.

* * *

It was so simple that first time. He said her name, she kissed him. He kissed her back. It wasn't sex. That's why it stopped, they were both too confused to understand. Serenity tried to tell her, but she was ignored her. Mal tried to talk to him about the odd behavior and he brushed it off. It was best to pretend the other didn't exist. It was best to pretend the other was invisible. It was better to go on telling yourself all that mattered was yourself, whether you lived or died. But you still watched, waited to hear her voice, waited to hear his voice. You waited to see if you could see that thin line between them, wondered if it could be severed. You wondered why it was there, when it had actually appeared. He heard her screaming. Those were the days he refused to leave his bunk. When he stayed in his bunk, she screamed louder. 

It was the screaming that brought him to her. She had been screaming for hours. "Get out of my head, no more needles, no more drugs, stop tapping the glass! Creeping in from the hills, I can see you, you can see me. I don't want to play this game. Cattle, we are cattle! Where are the Reavers? I don't see them! No more anger...poke and prod, rape and pillage, break my bones."

Simon, grabbed her arm ready to administer the tranquilizer. "Foreshadowing of things to come, drag me out and stuff me full. Only half, half human, that's what they want."

"River, you know what the Reavers are-"

"She ain't talkin' 'bout Reavers." No one had expected to see him that day. Jayne watched as River kicked Simon away from her. "I had a little bird, its name was Enza. I opened up the window and Influenza! They'll turn us, turn us all. Caged, beaten, used, lab rats in a maze. No sickness, just pain."

"Well, that don't sound too good," he muttered as he sat down at the table and began to clean his fingernails with his Bowie knife. She let out an extra loud shriek. "Stop, touching me! Stop touching me, I don't want this! Stop making me see you!"

"River?" Simon, rubbed his chest where she had kicked him as he stared at her in concern. She looked at him with eyes unseeing. "The Palemen, they have come."

He dropped his knife then and turned to her, looked at her finally. Her blind gaze turned to him. "They see you, see all of you. Want you, want to control you, touch you, break you, hurt you, make you. They will have us all. Sane become insane. Dead in the Water! They're in our black, no more screaming in anger, screaming in pain! The mutilated are screaming in pain! The angry are in fear...The Palemen, they have come!"

Jayne drove his knife into the table and stormed up to the bridge. He didn't like what he saw. "Mal!"

There was a thunder of boots across the grating as Mal and Zoe ran toward him. Jayne pointed out into the black. "Dead in the water."

* * *

A/N: okay, first part is a narration by Serenity, the ship itself. Second is by Mal. The rest is third person. You have any questions, just ask. feedback is always welcome. 


	3. Calling All Reavers

**I own nothing.**

* * *

The Trans-U was covered in blood, none of it fresh. There wasn't a body in sight. All that really seemed missing were the Reavers themselves. "This don't make no sense, Mal." Jayne blinked, his eyes watering from the stench. "Ain't nobody in their right mind would want ta let a Reaver live, let alone take one."

"And a boatload at that," Zoe added. Mal ran his finger through the blood. It was dry. "This didn't happen recently. There's somethin' ain't right with all this. I think it ain't somethin' I'm wantin' ta be privy to neither."

"Can we get back ta the boat, I ain't 'xactly comfortable with us standin' in a blood soaked cargo bay while y'all try ta fig'er out who killed the Colonel in the library with the candlestick," Jayne snapped. Mal nodded, though glaring as they departed. River was screaming again when they entered Serenity.

"Don't put me in the black room with glass, not the black room!" She shrieked. "They'll find their answers and tear us all in half! Don't tear us in half!"

"River, it's okay," Simon cooed in hushed tones as he held her to him and rubbed her back in a soothing manner. She shook her head against his shoulder. "They'll find us, Simon, and they'll take me, take us all, fill us full of orange and then-and then we are livestock! Can't ignore what isn't there, make Kaylee disappear, make me disappear, make Inara disappear. They're crawling on our skin, Simon, they're crawling all over."

"I ain't likin' her disappearin' talk," Jayne snarled, "shut'er up an' you shut'er up now!"

If he couldn't hear her, what she said was no longer true. River looked up at him with wide eyes, shrinking back into herself. "We can't stop them. They've already decided what they'll do to us-"

"Shut up," Jayne howled at her, storming off to his bunk. Zoe and Mal watched him go before turning to confer to one another in whispered voices. Mal ran a hand over his face. "Sure coulda used Mr. Universe right about now."

"You thinkin' maybe there somethin' to this," Zoe asked blankly. Mal nodded. "Reavers don't just disappear in the middle o' the black, Zoe."

Zoe grabbed Mal's arm and turned him, away from where Simon and Kaylee were trying to calm River. "We ain't that far from Lilac, Sir, we can stop there, refuel an' see if we can't find somethin' out. If there ain't any Reavers in space there ain't gonna be any on the ground."

"I see your point, but what if there's somethin' else in its place, Zoe," Mal asked with a dark look, "somethin' can take on a passel o' Reavers, it can take on my little crew. As I said, I ain't thinkin' I wanna be privy ta whatever it is done this-"

"I understand, Sir, but whatever it is, it's gonna go Core bound an' I ain't lookin' forward ta havin' ta watch both my back an' my front."

"I see your reasoning," Mal said with a nod, "things in the Core ain't cooled since Miranda-ain't like to neither-least ways not in a good while."

"I conjure if we take care of this matter, we'll take some heat out of the 'verse, Sir. Can't continue to do rim business if there ain't no rim ta do business in."

"I agree. Change course for Lilac."

* * *

The bodies were missing chunks of flesh where human teeth had ripped into them. There weren't many bodies and the bodies they did find were that of the elderly, the sick. River walked among them silently until finally saying in a haunted voice. "Have to feed the dogs-can't let them starve. Have to be good masters."

"Let's get these people buried, gather anything we might need. Jayne, you take a walk see if you can't find any survivors." Mal handed River one of his guns. "River, you go with Kaylee an' see if you can't find nothin' useful in any place."

He gave her a comm link. "Jayne an' I'll be on t'other end if ya need one o' us holler."

They entered a general goods store first. There was nothing of value besides a lart amount of tools Kaylee could use. River broke open the register and shoved the contents into a large burlap sack. Kaylee gave her an appalled look and River frowned. "Stealing the money is the same as your stealing the tools."

Kaylee colored a bit. "Yeah, 'spose yer right, Riv."

Kaylee ran her hand over the bolts of cloth behind the counter. They moved to the back and climbed up the stairs leading to the apartment above. It was covered in blood-fresh blood. Kaylee screamed when she opened the bedroom door. River pushed the door open farther to get a better look. There was a badly injured Reaver laying in a pool of its own blood, breathing heavily. There was a thick, metal ring around its neck. It hissed at them and River leveled her gun on it as she came nearer. It continued to sit slumped up against the bed, eying them. It looked defeated, pained-not angry or full of rage.

"Kaylee, find me a knife or a sword," River instructed. Reaver continued to wheeze as River brought the gun up to its face and shot it point blank between the eyes. Kaylee cried out at the sight of the back of the Reaver's head splattering across the bed and the far wall before she raced out of the room. Rver waited patiently until she returned with a large carving knife. River looked over her shoulder at the mechanic as she took the knife. "Look away, Kaylee. You don't want to see this."

River gripped the Reaver's head by its hair and began to saw away at his neck, just above the metal ring.

Mal was the first to see River covered head to toe in blood so much so that it had soaked through her dress, causing it to stick to her. Her hair was drenched and her face covered in several thick spatters. She dropped the sack she was carrying at his feet. "Reaver," she said in a monotone voice, "this was around his neck. I had to cut his head off."

Mal took the thick ring of gleaming, bloody metal from her hands and turned it over and over as he stared at it. "Looks like a collar," Zoe said at his side. He nodded. "Only I don't know of no one who's in the business of keepin' pets in this 'verse."

"What's that," Jayne asked as he came back. Mal looked up at him. "Reaver collar. Find any survivors?"

"Ain't a livin' soul about an' I'm thinkin' that may be a sign that we oughta get outta here."

"I agree," Mal hauled up the sack. "Everyone back to the ship, double time!"

The dust began to swirl around their feet and Mal looked up to find a large, unfamiliar ship settle over the town. There was suddenly the familiar screams of hundreds of Reavers. River began shaking as several shuttles broke off of the gigantic ship that obscured the sun from view and landed, letting the Reavers pour out in large numbers.. "It's too late, they've come for us."

"Jayne, did you bring any grenades?" Mal asked as he watched the shuttles settle around them. Jayne glowered at the first shuttle that opened. "You kiddin'? I brought my whole damn arsenal."

"Good, I think we'll be needin' it."

The first batch of Reavers stepped forward and Mal felt something inside him begin to shake. Normal Reavers didn't circle like that. They attacked blindly. One of the larger Reavers stepped closer and Mal noted with a fair amount of dread that he was wearing armor, as if he were going into battle. They all were and they were all wearing those strange collars.

"Doc, you an' Kaylee get inside the general store an' hide."

Simon didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Kaylee and pulled her in the direction of the general store just as the line of Reavers broke and descended. River emptied her bullets into the crowd with precision. Jayne lobbed a grenade and handed River another gun. "Don't lose her," he warned her as he handed her an extra magazine. River stepped forward and pulled scimitar off the nearested dead Reaver, stepping straight into the mess.

"River," Mal screamed in warning. She didn't turn to look as she yelled back, "I am not going down without a fight, Captain."

Mal glanced over to Zoe whose stoic calm was replaced with fear. River had told them they were going down and she was never wrong. For every dozen they took out, there was another two dozen sent in until they were pushed back into the general store as well. Jayne dropped two grenades down the stairs into the store before the bolted and blocked the door. They were so busy watching the door that they all froze when the external wall to the building was ripped away. Jayne, Mal, and Zoe hefted a large block of the concrete up on its side and began firing at the skiff hovering in front of the store. Two of the reavers, who had been doing something-what they couldn't figure out- were hit and fell from the skiff to the ground, unmoving. River, who had been closest to the wall turned to come and hide behind the concrete wall beside Mal. Jayne had moved back farther behind another block with Kaylee and Simon hiding behind him. Just as River began to step forward, something hit her hard in the back of the shoulder. She lurched forward slightly and felt for whatever it was that had hit her. She pulled out the dart and stared at it. She began to wobble back and forth, her vision fuzzing slightly, all coherence dissipating. "Daddy," she mumbled to Mal with unfocused eyes, "I can't feel my legs."

Mal reached out to grab her when something else hit River hard, pushing her forward. It was a large, thick metal line, and her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "Run," she screamed, as four arms shot out from the part of the line that had made contact with her back, wrapping around her tightly. It pulled back with alarming speed, dragging her with it. Mal's mouth fell open in shock. He found he couldn't move. There was an enraged howl behind him. Jayne hurled himself forward, grabbing onto the metal line and hauled himself up into the skiff even before River herself was pulled in. Jayne was nothing more than a flurry of angry fists hammering into rotten, disfigured flesh as he mindlessly beat several Reavers in his rage, hurling them from the skiff in sets of three and sometimes four. Somehow, a pair of some of the larger Reavers managed to hold him down while one of the other injected him with something, he continued to struggle against them, he's movements becoming increasingly slow and lethargic. River tried to move toward Jayne and one of the Reavers took a hold of her, pulling her out of view as she screamed Jayne's name over and over. One of the larger Reavers, obviously the leader and moved to the doorway and let out a bloodcurdling roar, his eyes piercing into Mal's soul. Mal felt himself go cold. No Reaver screamed like that, looked at a man like that. The Reaver shut the skiff door and the skiff disappeared from view.

"Mal," Zoe called next to him, shaking him. She had been shaking him for the past half hour he realized. He finally turned to look at her. "I think that Reaver just...his eyes. Did you see his eyes?"

Zoe gave him a confused look. "Mal, right now we need to figure out how the hell to get out of here before that skiff comes back for the rest of us."

Mal turned back to look at Kaylee and Simon. Kayle was sobbing hysterically and Simon's face was a mixture of disbelief and extreme anguish. "Right," he choked out. "Focus on getting out of here and then we'll focus on getting Jayne and River back."

Zoe's lips pulled back into a thin line as she grimaced. "If we can, Sir."

* * *

It was cold where she was, black. There was no light, but she could feel them watching her. She could hear the Reaver's screaming in pain as they were tortured. She could hear the wife of the general store owner crying, screaming, pleading as they...did things to her. Even though it was completely still and silent where she was, she could hear it all. The one thing she couldn't hear was Jayne. If he was alive or dead, she did not know. River waited and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness until finally she realized they wouldn't because there was absolutely no light to be found where she was. Due to her disorientation, she was completely caught off guard when a large clammy hand shot out and gripped her by the neck, squeezing to the point that she nearly passed out. "Our best conquest yet," he hissed at someone. She could feel them, it was a large group, all of them staring at her-she could feel the eyes watching.

"Should we persue the others? They got away, my Lord."

The hand squeezed tighter, enough for her to gasp in pain. "No, let them come to us. They will come to us. As for the Reavers, R-28678 and those under his command are to be rewarded for their captures. Give them some of the men and women from the town that are expendable. The others-they need to be reminded what happens to those who fail."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Wait," he called to the one who had begun to leave. "The man. His progress?"

"He responded well to the vaccine. He's an excellent candidate, but we're having trouble finding the proper female-"

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know, my Lord. We have been trying for several hours-"

"You haven't been trying enough."

"Yes, you are right, my Lord." She could feel them pause reluctantly as they spoke with marked hesitation. "Maybe, if we put her in the cell-"

"No," he snapped, "she is for us."

"I understand, my Lord, but-"

"No," he screeched, "you know the interest the Mark has in her abilities. She is for the Mark and the Mark only." He paused, amused. "In fact, the Mark has shown some interest in the man as well-"

"He's killed thirteen of us already, my Lord, no one will go near him. He killed R-18540 with his bare hands. Shoved his fingers right into his eye sockets, ripped his cranium open as well. No one will go near him. It takes four Reavers to restrain him and each time he manages to kill two in the process. Are you sure it's wise to allow him near the Mark?"

"It seems to me, you are doing far too much questioning," he said by way of dismissal. "Break him like we did the Reavers and he should be fine."

"Jayne," River gasped out. He squeezed harder. "If he's lucky, he'll forget all about you."

* * *

A/N: ahh so mysterious. yes, i have a plan. woot. i'm not just flying by the seat of my pants mostly. go me! Reviews would be appreciated. if you're one of those people who don't like mystery and would enjoy having me tell you exactly what is going to happen in the next chapter, ask me and i'll tell you, though to me that's totally CHEATING.

point of interest, while i was walking home from classes (i'm in college), i saw a man in a suit with blue gloves walking toward the optometry building. swear, it was seriously one of the blue hands. i had no idea what to do besides, you know, run since i didn't have any grenades. seriously scared the crap out of me. so apparently, the optometry building on my campus is in all actuality an alliance funded academy run by the blue sun corporation. makes perfect sense to me. of course, i'm probably paranoid and/or crazy.


	4. Makings of a Monster

Zoe brought up the map on the cortex, Mal and Simon were huddled around her. "This is where all the disappearances are taking plade-right where Reaver territory should be," she said, pointing in an arch. Mal nodded. "But there ain't no more Reavers."

"Oh, there're Reavers alright, Sir, just from what I been told by the folks I talked to on Georgia and Newhall, these ain't normal Reaver attacks. Sometimes they attack, sometimes they don't. Ain't ever rightly heard of a ship of Reavers what don't attack a passing ship full o' regular folk. Reports are comin' in from all over this section of the rim about strange Reaver behavior. They ain't massacring people no more, they're taking people-kidnapping, Sir, just like they done with River an' Jayne." She sighed heavily. "An' whatever it is, that's causin' them to do this, is out there, in that quadrant, just beyond the rim."

Mal rubbed his chin in thought. "They wasn't after Jayne. They was after River."

"You thinkin' maybe they knew about her abilities?"

"That's impossible," Simon said, speaking for the first time, "the only ones who know besides ourselves are those who were in charge of the Academy and a very select group of Alliance officials. The only way they would know-"

"Is if they were psychic, too, Doc," Mal answered for him. "An' I ain't doubtin' they are. Whatever it was done took yer sister an' my mercenary ain't dumb-they know things, things they shouldn't an' they do things what ought not to be done. Like turnin' Reavers inta soldiers."

"Soldiers," Simon exclaimed. "That's absurd, Captain, Reavers do not have the mental capacity to-"

"That you know of, Simon," Zoe argued, "they were men once, too. They got the mental capacity to take orders. They just needed to be reminded."

Mal continued to stare at the cortex. "Zoe, how are we to do this? We knew what we were up against before, but now..."

"I'm waiting for more information from Beylix, Lilac-what's left of it," Zoe took a deep breath as she continued, "Mal, we may not be able to handle this one-"

"Crew's crew, Zoe," he said in a hard voice, "and crew don't get left behind. If we can't find anything useful...Just find me something useful, Zoe."

* * *

He looked around the black ring-shaped table, casting a hard look at each member of the Mark sitting there. "She possesses the abilities of those we have heard of farther into the galaxy." 

"We knew that already, Lord Arkham," another man said coldly. "The question is whether or not we use her for testing or transfer her to the Hybrid Project. The same goes for the male."

"I am not unaware of this, Lord Malefice," he replied, his voice just as cold, "however, their behavior is quite unpredictable. The male is showing extreme resistance to the Reaver process and it is possible that he will have to be put down-"

"No," spoke another Lord, "his tissue regeneration rate is remarkable, not to mention his physical state is astounding. He fits all the qualifications for every single project housed here on the Shardak."

"Perhaps, he is too over qualified," said yet another Lord. Lord Arkham glared. "No human is too over qualified."

"Regardless, termination is out of the question," Lord Malefice said in a distant voice, "all that matters is that you assimilate him and present him to the Quarter Mark. As for the girl?"

One Lord snorted. "She's just as difficult, I've heard."

"That is to be expected. Perhaps she needs to spend some time with the soldiers while restrained," Lord Malefice offered as he twirled his glass in his hands, "it might help to show her she is no longer free to do as she pleases."

Lord Arkham blinked in shock. "You can't be suggesting-"

"I am not; the soldiers have been sterilized and given the order not to cause serious physical damage, there should be nothing to worry on-"

"No," Lord Arkham bellowed as he slammed his fist down onto the table. Lord Malefice raised an eyebrow. "It was only a suggestion, Lord Arkham. Nothing more. I can only council you on how to conduct your studies, as a member of the Mark, however, I must warn you that should you feel the urge to our expressed wishes often, you will be removed from you position and repleaced by someone of the Mark with the ability to keep their distance."

"I disagree because the consequences of such actions could impair certain aspects of her assimilation into the Ascillian society." He leaned forward. "Do not threaten me, Malefice, I was put into this position of power for a reason and you know it."

Lord Malefice shifted uncomfortably. "This may be so, but it does not mean one is not allowed to question your methods." Lord Malefice smiled. "Do not forget it is up to the Mark in its entirety as to the determination of her place. Once you have gathered your information on both the female and the male, you will transfer them to the Hybrid Project. That is after all, our primary goal."

* * *

Jayne leaned back into the corner created by the thick glass and the black, metal wall. Somehow, he was still alive. They had tortured him for hours, pumped the cell full of some gas that had only succeeded in causing him to blast all over the room. It was the second time they had done so. However, this time they sent no one in to clean up after him, afraid he would kill them. Sometimes, he thought he could hear them whispering in that little room they were in. Something about his increase in lung capacity, his tissue regeneration rate and his immunity to diseases that many others had shown no signs of immunity to his increased strength. He'd noticed that, too. He'd never been able to rip items that were bolted to the floor up before. 

He wondered sometimes if River was still alive or she had died being tortured. Maybe they had given her to the Reavers. He pulled at his own hair thinking about it. He thought about it often, felt himself going crazy over it. He should have tried harder to keep them from being taken. Something moved behind the glass wall to his right and he didn't even bother to look up. He could smell her on the other side. They kept bringing in human girls; sticking them in the other half of the cell behind the glass partition. How he could smell them was beyond him. How he noticed the difference in pheromones was beyond him. Any time he inhaled them, something evil moved inside him, something dark waiting for its chance to rip him apart and take his place. He found the more he thought on it, the more it consumed him. He turned his thoughts back to River and howled at the violent images that flashed in his mind when he envisioned her. Then he smelled it, something funny. This gas was different then the last. The black created by the closing of his eyelids didn't seem as black as the darkness of his cell.

* * *

"Only hunch we got is to head straight past Miranda-" 

"You ain't comin' with me, Zoe."

"Sir," Zoe said in a startled voice, "what do you mean not comin' with you?"

"I ain't losin' more crew than I already have," Mal explained, "we'll fly as close as we can without the rest a you gettin' pinched an' I'll take one a the shuttles out."

"And what then, Sir?" Zoe crossed her arms defiantly. "You'll fight them off all by your lonesome? Die tryin' ta do the impossible?"

"Zoe, how many times we done the impossible?"

"Do account for nothin', Mal, as we were all in it together," she argued in an even tone. Mal gave her a warning glare. "This ain't negotiable, Zoe. If I don't come back, someone has ta be in charge-"

"Mal-"

"You're stayin' behind and that's an order."

Zoe stepped forward then, hugging him. "Make sure you bring 'em home, Sir."

Slowly, Mal responded, his voice cracking slightly, "I will."

* * *

R-28678 was advanced. It was why he was put in charge of the entire Reaver army; why he had been given the order to persue the girl personally. It was an honor, he realized this. And, it was because he realized this that he knew he shouldn't be so easily dismissed out of hand. Inoculating him had been just as much of a mistake as Lord Arkham deciding to implement the Reaver program on the man. They possessed the same qualities. If they pushed the man too hard, he would become nothing more than an overpowered animal-a beast, unstoppable. It was stupid of Arkham to keep the girl away. He could see it in the man's feral, reddening eyes as he watched him through the thick, black glass. He could smell her, hear her, and it was driving him mad with uncontrollable rage. Injecting him with the same pacifying drug they had used on the Reavers had had the adverse affect and coupled with the vaccine, it was dangerous. R-28678 remained silent. Draw attention to his intelligence and he would become subject to testing once again. Ascillians knew better than to pick through the psyche of a Reaver-even the intelligent ones were insane. While he felt the Ascillians bringing about the destruction of their own race as well as that of his warrior clan, he couldn't stop them. He enjoyed the torture, the pain they inflicted. He enjoyed watching it. 

What R-28678 didn't enjoy was knowing the man could smell him, sense him. He didn't enjoy the almost imperceptible growl that left his throat whenever they sent the soldiers in to restrain him. He knew where they were, could see them. R-28678 feared him more than the Ascillians.

* * *

A/N: Can I just say that I've been creeping myself out with this little foray into the darker side of the 'verse? 

So the race of people referred to as the "Palemen" are called Ascillian (pronounced AS-KILL-ee-un). The Shardak (pronounced how it is spelled) is the ship they use to house those they kidnap and test. In case you're wondering how big it is, it's bigger than the alliance cruiser Dortmunder from the first episode of Firefly. Lord Arkham is the Ascillian in charge of all testing done on those brought to the ship. The Mark is a select council of the upper most Ascillian society. While Lord Arkham is in the Mark, he is of a rather low standing. The Quarter Mark is made up of the highest standing officials of the Mark itself. R-28678 is a Reaver, and in fact, a General over the entire Reaver army that the Ascillians have conquered. R-28678 is the only intelligent Reaver by human standards. While having been subjected to the vaccine along with the rest of the Reavers, he reacted to it differently and evolved past his rage to an extent. It should be noted that if he's afraid of Jayne, Jayne is going to become to be feared. Because of this, coming chapters may not be pretty. Fair warning.

The vaccine was created by the Ascillians to prevent tissue degeneration and promote accelerated tissue growth while inoculating those who were given it from all disease. It can be compared to the T-Virus from "Resident Evil", but with much more stable results among humans. While Ascillians are humanoid and closely resemble them, they do not completely share the same material genetics and therefore, the "vaccine," as they call it, attacks the body adversely rather than repairs it.

that pretty much covers everything I wanted to cover, but if you're a cheater, ask and I shall tell. Feel free to review.


	5. Devil's Advocate

**I own nothing. **_Fair warning, this chapter alludes to rape and is very heavy on the violence._

* * *

The shuttle doors opened with a hiss and Mal was quickly surrounded by armored Reavers. The one who stood directly before him was covered head to toe in bulky, black armor, his face completely masked from view. All Mal could make out was the bottom row of teeth in his mouth that was visible through the air slit cut out in the metal mask. His teeth were permanently stained red and filed to sharp points and the canines were inexplicably long for human teeth. Mal inadvertently took a step back as he looked up at the towering Reaver. It was the same Reaver that had howled at him from the skiff. He grabbed a hold of him with lightning speed, dragging him into the large ship and shoved him forward. There was a snarl of cruel laughter behind him-no it came from inside his mind. His entire body grew cold as the urge to run overwhelmed him.

Something moved in the shadows in front of him and he inwardly cringed when it came into view. How something so vile in appearance could be humanoid appalled him. Its skin was so pale, so white it was nearly translucent. The venous pathways were visible under the skin, almost resembling dark blue, lines as they ran the length of exposed skin. It flinched under what little light was provided within the blackened hallway, its vacuous pupils contracting and causing the bile-pink irises to grow. It's thin, purplish lips drew up in an almost sadistic smile, baring two rows of pointed teeth. It had no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair on the crown of it's pale, almost bone colored skull and Mal realized the skin of its head was so pale because he could make out the bone beneath the muscle. Its ear were holes in the side of its head, crowned by a pointed protrusion that was completely clear with fingers of purple capillaries running through.

"Captain Reynolds, brave of you to come us unaccompanied. Foolish as well, I might add." If it hadn't been for the male timber of its voice, Mal never would have been able to determine gender based on outward appearance alone, it was so completely disfigured. Mal had to fight to keep from letting his voice shake. "Couldn't endanger the rest of my crew."

"Ah yes, it was wise of you to order your first mate not to tell you where they would head once you left your ship to come here," it chuckled ominously. It held out its clammy hand. "I am Lord Arkham, Captain Reynolds, and I have been overseeing the care of your former crew mates-"

"They're still my crew," Mal interrupted and it grinned in malicious amusement. "Ah, yes. A man such as yourself would think that."

Mal opened his mouth to ask a question and Lord Arkham turned from him, his black robes swishing around him as he moved down the corridor. The Reaver shoved Mal into following. Lord Arkham spared a glance over his shoulder. "By now, I am sure you realize you will not be leaving and I am only going to impart what little knowledge I have gained from your followers because I believe it will help us to better force you to assimilate."

As they moved further into the ship, Mal was assaulted by the sound of thousands of men and women screaming both in pain and rage. Lord Arkham stopped suddenly and turned suddenly. "You know, I find it odd that while your kind fights to maintain dominance they show little concern with the well-being of the population at large. We Ascillians have made it a point to help one another to grow, become better- superior if you will."

"Seems every dominant species has their own Aristocracy."

Lord Arkham waved him off with a laugh. "You'll understand us soon enough."

Mal jumped in surprise as several men slipped by in purple suits, scurrying past Lord Arkham in a frenzy. "I was told not to terminate your male friend even though his behavior is...unpredictable."

He moved down several more narrow corridors before stopping next to two door. One was made of metal and locked from the outside while the other seemed less sturdy. Lord Arkham opened the second door and slinked over to a two way mirror. Despite his overwhelming sense of fear, Mal stepped up to the window in looked into the pitch dark room when something was thrown up against it without warning. Some dim light flicked on in the cell and Mal was finally able to see what had hit the mirror with such force. It was the body of a young girl, no older than River and there was blood-her blood- covering the mirror. Her lifeless body slid down the window and directly behind her stood Jayne.

Mal took a step back from the window as Jayne's eyes bore into his. Lord Arkham sighed. "That's the sixth female he's killed today."

He turned partially toward Mal as he continued to watch Jayne in analytical curiosity. "You know, while he is emotionally level with a Reaver, he does not participate in what would be deemed normal Reaver activity besides killing. No raping, self mutilation, cannibalism. He's mutated some as well. It's rather fascinating. He is the perfect warrior really." Lord Arkham turned to eye the Reaver standing beside Mal. "Perhaps, he will even surpass R-28678."

"A Reaver," Mal choked out. "You turned him into a Reaver?"

"Yes, it took longer than expected, but the transformation was successful," he said shortly. He turned to one of them men standing behind him waiting for orders. "The female? Is she ready?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Send her in." He smiled down at Mal. "You're about to witness a reunion."

Jayne stilled on the other side of the window. He had begun pacing back and forth some time earlier, but he stilled immediately, eying the big door leading into his cell. The very bottom portion of the door slid away and a small shivering body was shoved into the room. The body scrambled back against the wall and Mal realized the wild eyed girl he was staring at-whose face was covered in black bruises-was River. She made to push herself closer to the wall when her legs gave out, the muscles under her skin visibly shaking from effort. There were several large, black bruises in the shapes of hand prints with half crescent cuts where someone's fingernails had dug into her skin.

"What did you do to her?"

"Sometimes, when breaking one such as a psychic assassin, we must use extreme force."

"What did you do to her," Mal repeated with more force. Lord Arkham's lips twitched. "She was restrained and given over to the Reavers."

Mal placed a hand on the window as he watched River rock back and forth against the wall, covering her face with her hands. "She's regressed mentally, but she has suffered no memory loss or-"

"Why don't she know who he is?"

"He's not who he was, Captain, it's as simple as that. Hopefully, once we're done with her, she'll be nothing like her former self-" Lord Arkham stopped mid sentence as he watched Jayne move closer to River, slowly. River shielded her face from him and held up one hand, as if to keep him away as she continued to sob hysterically.

* * *

River's body burned in pain. As groggy as she was from he tranquilizers given to her before the medical technicians had examined her for any signs of "permanent damage", she could still feel the homicidal rage that enveloped her once she was shoved into the room. Reaver. She tried to get her legs to move properly but it felt as though she were being stabbed with shards of glass with every moment she made. Her legs gave out as she leaned herself up against the wall and she covered her eyes with her hands so that she wouldn't have to see him when he finally attacked. She cried and waited. River waited, but nothing happened. She looked up to find him staring down at her, breathing heavily where he knelt by her feet, his eyes flitting over her body. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring as he leveled what had once been the bluest eyes she had ever seen on her. His irises were a scorched red, small flecks of blue barely visible. River shook her head and moved forward slightly, causing him to draw back and growl. The arm she used to pull herself closer to him gave out and she tumbled forward, closing her eyes as she neared the metal grating. A rough hand pulled her up at the last second, stilling and righting her all at once. River opened her eyes slowly and focused on the blood soaked hand enveloping her her upper arm and cautiously moved her gaze to his eyes. He stared at her, never blinking for a long moment as she searched his eyes. River reached up toward him, her hand shaking as her fingers touched his jaw.

"I can see you," she breathed out in a ragged whisper. His eyes flashed as he jerked her even closer. River brought her other hand up to his face, cupping it as she trailed her fingers through his hair and she bit her lip to keep from crying. "I can still see you."

She let out a broken sob. "What have they done to you?"

He pulled her hands away and searched her face. She inhaled sharply. "They've been doing things to-I hear it. I hear them screaming, the growing, I can hear it. It's not human, but not like you. Like them."

He let out a low growl and she let her head fall against his shoulder. "You kill me before they use me, Jayne."

"Thousands of voices, touching me they keep touching," she babbled, "up for bid soon, all of us. We'll incubate-"

Jayne gave her a hard shake and she stopped. "All the men, they've done the same to them...not like you-"

Jayne turned away from her, his eyes locking on the large metal door. They were coming to take her away. They had believed they would fight, that one of them would die. Jayne turned back to River staring into her eyes intently. River's eyes widened. "No, Jayne, don't. You can't-"

He let go of her abruptly, turning to watch as the door swung open, the metal hinges grinding and shrieking. R-28678 loomed in the doorway flanked by four other Reaver soldiers. R-28678 stepped in to the room, pulling out a long blade. He rotated his shoulders as he stared down at Jayne. Jayne moved slowly, each muscle in his body tensing as he stood at his full height and round his fiery eyes on the Reaver General. R-28678 flinched and the Reavers flanking him hissed and howled nervously. The four Reavers scurried into the room, heading straight for River. Jayne grabbed one by his metal collar, gripping it so tightly it snapped before he twisted the Reaver's neck with such force that his head separated from his torso. Jayne reached for the second and jerked his arm, dislocating it. The Reaver screamed in pain and Jayne thrust his hand into the Reaver's chest cavity, blood spraying everywhere as dug further into its chest and its flailing died down.

River screamed as the third and forth Reaver grabbed a hold of her and pulled her from the room. Jayne stepped forward and R-28678 blocked his path, bringing up his sword. Jayne grabbed the end and R-28678 pulled it free, slicing Jayne's palms. Jayne snarled, bringing his left arm down over the blade while bringing his right arm up under it, snapping it. He grabbed the broken end of the sword just as he slammed his fist into R-28678's helm. R-28678 heard his knuckles as they cracked and dislocated. Jayne roared and shoved the broken end of the sword into R-28678's left shoulder. R-28678 stumbled backward and Jayne flexed his broken hand, the joints popping back into place. R-28678 stumbled out the door and used his full weight to shut it as quickly as possible. The moment the door clicked shut and was locked, came the furious pounding and howling. The metal of the door and the surrounding door groaned and those standing in the hallway back away.

* * *

Mal turned to Lord Arkham as the two watched Jayne pound a sizable dent in the door. "Y'all know what it is you created?"

Lord Arkham ignored him and turned to one of the men hovering behind him. "Call the Mark for an emergency meeting to request subject termination."

"Whoa, termination-"

Lord Arkham whirled on him. "I am about to do something very charitable, Captain Reynolds. I am about to set you free. I hope that in doing so, you will forget what you have seen here and will return to your remaining crew members. I hope that you will not attempt to contact us or engage us in battle. I will inform all personnel on-board the Shardak to keep a wide berth of you and yours."

R-28678 appeared beside Mal, ripping the sword end from his shoulder. He let the blade tip fall to the floor as he shoved Mal toward the door. Lord Arkham turned back toward the viewing glass. When they reached the shuttle, R-28678 put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from entering. He stepped aside and one of the smaller Reavers handed him a black box. R-28678 pulled a chain that had been obscured by his chest plate out, yanking it off and handed it to Mal. Attached to it was an odd shaped piece of black metal. Mal stared at the items for a moment and then back up at the giant Reaver. Mal nearly swallowed his tongue when the Reaver nodded at him and pushed him into the shuttle. The shuttle was jettisoned and Mal found that his course had already been set for him. He collapsed in the pilot's chair, staring down at the locked box. He held up the chain, studying the metal shard on the end and jammed it into the lock. The box clicked opened and Mal stared down into its contents, realization dawning.

* * *

Lord Arkham slammed his fist down on the stable. "The subject has become unstable and must be terminated-"

"We understand he has surpassed R-28678 in terms of tissue regeneration, skill, strength, sensory sensitivity, and he has even grown in size."

"Yes, but-"

"You say he reacts only with the girl," Lord Malefice asked. Lord Arkham nodded reluctantly. Lord Malefice leaned back in his chair. "There is evidence of a past relationship. Perhaps she is the female he requires-"

"No, she is to be used in the Hybrid-"

"I am well aware of this, however we have already begun the Hybrid Project and several of the human females are already being bred within the Mark. Several of the females with her abilities who were in the project showed resistance and were terminated." Lord Malefice clicked his yellowing fingernails on the table. "Of course, you may be right-a thinking Reaver does not bode well for the Ascillians. Especially, since we have increased the number of soldiers. Should one choose to lead a revolt..."

He slammed his hand down. "Gather as much information as you can within the month and then terminate them both."

* * *

R-28678 grabbed the nearest soldier and pushed his head back, letting the needle sink into its neck as he injected the orange vaccine. The soldier staggered away as the second one came forward and R-28678 repeated the process until every last soldier in the barracks was vaccinated. R-28678 moved through the barracks to the containment quarters where the cast-off females were held for disobedience. R-28678 walked down the to the very end of the row of cages, ignoring the sounds of the women who screamed as the soldiers pulled them from the cages. R-28678 came to the end and knelt by the last cage. The girl didn't bother to look up at him. "You saw the devil, too."

R-28678 held out his hand to her and she turned slowly to look at him. "I am not for you. "

She stared at him a long moment and her lip curled up in a small, disconnected smile. "Wish to play devil's advocate."

River took R-28678's hand as he led her from the cage and out into the barracks.

* * *

A/N: By now, you may have finally come to understand just exactly what the Hybrid Project is. What the Ascillians were planning on doing was creating a human/Ascillian race that could withstand the vaccine. How they would go about doing this, was to test certain males and females to see if they had the traits or characteristics the Ascillians were looking for, then they would literally be put up for auction to the Ascillian populus. The Mark and Quarter Mark would be given first choice.

any questions ask. please review.


	6. Consummation of Red

**I own nothing nor do I profit from this. **_This chapter is a little smutty, so if smut's not your thing, don't read._

* * *

Jayne sat in the corner of his cell. It was covered in rancid blood. The smell alternated between making him sick to his stomach and making want to kill. He spent most of his time trying to remember everything outside of where he was, but all he could remember was River. He stood, walked across the room and punched the two way window. They refused to bring her to see him. He collapsed in his corner once more, turning only when he heard the bottom of the door scrape open. A bucket and a tray of food was pushed in and the door was quickly sealed shut. He kicked over the tray. They kept trying to feed him human flesh. He grabbed up the bucket. It was filled to the brim with stale water. He drank his full and then drenched himself in the rest, remembering for an instant what it had been like to take a shower with her-with River. How she had looked up at him with those big brown eyes. He shook the water from his hair and threw the bucket aside and began pacing like the caged animal he was. The room filled with sickening stench-they were gassing him again to make him sleep. He threw himself up against the window as his muscle began to involuntarily relax and was rewarded with the sound of the glass cracking as he drifted into unconsciousness. 

When he awoke hours later, he could smell the disinfectant they'd cleaned him with. He was half submerged in a giant basin of water. He vaguely remembered it from when he had first been brought. Whoever was in charge was very angry with him. The first jolt that traveled through him was small.

"You have been a thorn in this endeavor's side ever since you were brought here. It was stupid of you to think you could save her then and it's stupid to continue thinking so."

Jayne could smell his putrid stench, the mucus his skin created, down to the very last enzyme.

"You'll not be seeing her again."

The second jolt was more powerful than any jolt he remembered. He didn't scream. He roared.

* * *

The four of them sat silently as the newest additions to their crew hollered and screamed about how dangerous this mission was. It was Kaylee who spoke first. "We can't just leave 'em. They's family." 

The newly hired pilot and gunhand were silenced for only a minute when the pilot spoke up. "Once you get 'em back. You ain't gonna want us."

Mal sighed wearily. "It's only the girl we're after. We see Jayne, we shoot."

"What," Kaylee cried, "why?"

Mal took a deep breath and leveled his eyes on his crew. "They ain't just been kidnapped, they been tested on. Done things the likes a which Jayne ain't comin' back from."

"But he's family," Simon argued, surprising Mal, "he tried to save my sister from them and his reward is to be left there, tortured for all eternity when-"

"They turned him inta somethin' that ain't right, Doc," Mal interrupted, "you wanna bring that on board?"

"What about River?"

"They've hurt her plenty, but nothin' she can't come back from for the most part." He looked up at his new pilot and gun hand. "Now, I undertsand if'n you two are gonna walk on this one, but the rest a us is fightin'."

"I ain't gonna miss any gunplay," the gun hand said with a sneer. Mal nodded, smiling, "Glad to hear it, Marcus."

He turned to the pilot. "What about you, Alan?"

The pilot shrugged. "Someone has to fly this boat there. Might as well be me."

"Good," Mal opened the box and threw out several vials full of orange liquid. "Let's get ourselves inoculated."

* * *

River picked stood in front of the screen, waiting to be connected. Mal's stunned face greeted her. "River, how-" 

"The General let me out," she explained, "Jayne and I are to be terminated at the end of the month."

"Ain't gonna happen."

"I know." She lowered her voice, "The date of our termination coincides with that of the first auction. The Ascillians will be in the main chambers awaiting their chance to purchase livestock. That is when we will attack."

"River, you forgettin' we're only five strong?" Mal asked jokingly and River shook her head. "My people are helping."

"Your people? Who?"

"The Reavers."

"What kind a nonsense is that?!"

River drew her mouth up in a scowl. "They are Jayne's people and so they are mine. I'll not abandon him."

"River, he's a monster-"

"I'll see you in a month's time. A guard will be posted to allow you entry. Should you choose to meet my clan with violence, it will be reciprocated," she leveled her gaze on him. "Reavers know right from wrong, Captain. They only need reminding."

The screen went blank and she collapsed on a hard metal chair. R-28678 came to stand next to her and she sighed. "A strained alliance. We'll have to watch our backs and his. He must be informed. Or the red will be drained and chaos will come again and the 'verse will become black."

He held up the syringe and she held out her arm. "Is it the dead strain?"

R-28678 nodded. River let out a heavy sigh. "It has to be done."

R-28678 nodded once more, took River's arm in hand, and slowly slid the needle into her skin, injecting her with the syringe's contents. R-28678 moved to stand behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she began to convulse. River's eyes rolled back in her head and then flashed back forward. They darted around the room with the utmost clarity, taking in every minute detail. R-28678 took his arm from around her shoulders and came to kneel before her. She slumped down in her chair, lowering her chin to her chest as she spoke. "I must see him tonight. He must know what I have done in case my calculations were incorrect."

R-28678 stiffened in response and she glared at him. "Or would you rather him not recognize me and have them consume everything?"

R-28678 lowered his head in response. River cried out in pain, clutching her arms around her abdomen. "Everything burns. Everything-I hate it all!"

* * *

When they slept, Jayne seethed, thought of ripping them in pieces and splattering their superior brains across the walls of his cage. He would relish the chance to split them wide open and string their entrails along the black metal walls. And once he'd slaughter them all, he'd take River and...what would he do? He was barely in control of himself. Everything in him told him to kill, conquer, destroy. It was more than possible one day he would lose control and break her, kill her in a fit of rage. 

He could smell her, always, but the scent wasn't as faint as usual. She was close by and getting closer. The sound of the locks on the metal door springing and the instinctual knowledge that she was on the other side drove him to his feet. The door swung open slowly and in stepped a Reaver. Jayne tensed, waiting for him to attack, but he stepped aside, revealing River. She stepped into the room cautiously. There was something different about her and he instinctively backed away a step.

"No, Jayne, it is River," she said soothingly. He stepped forward and eyed her warily. She came to stand a good foot away. "I had to do it; for us, for them."

She moved closer to him, reaching out a hand. "I'll not leave you and this is the only way. I go where you go. And so will many others."

Jayne reached forward hesitantly, letting his fingers entwine and lock with hers. River averted her gaze. "The time has not yet come and you will be made to suffer."

She looked back at the Reaver, pointing. "R-28678 has promised to watch over you. If they try to drain you, he will prevent it. You must trust him."

Jayne glared at her in response and River shook her head. "You must understand, we are not Serenity's children anymore. Our humanity hangs by a thread threatening to be cut."

She reached up with her other hand, running her fingers over his jaw. "We need them because we are them. We must lend them our gravity to build their own threads."

Jayne jerked away violently and River fought to keep a firm grip on his hand. "No, stop!"

He stilled, keeping his face turned away. River moved closer to him. "The red can't hurt me. It loves me just as much as you do."

She took his face in her hands, turning him to look at her. "I love you. I love the Jayne in you and I love the red in you."

Jayne pulled her up roughly, bringing their mouths together violently. At the sound of the door closing, Jayne hauled her up against the wall, slamming her against it with enough force that several of her vertebrae cracked in response and she let our a half pained moan. He began to pull away and River pulled him back. whispering huskily, "I want all of you, even the darkest of your red. Fill me with it."

Jayne let out a primal growl and he yanked her up roughly, crushing her against the wall painfully as he ripped at her clothing. River bit down hard on his lip, splitting it as she tore at his pants. River yanked them from his hips and without a moment's hesitation, he sank into her forcefully and they both groaned. Jayne shoved her head back as he pummeled, her biting down hard on her neck. River met his driving thrusts eagerly, enjoying the pain and pleasure it brought equally. She raked her fingers down his chest, sheering several layers of skin away and Jayne growled his approval as he sank his teeth deeper into her neck. Both River and Jayne alternated between guttural groans and erratic panting as their movements became more frenzied with each passing minute and the pressure of their bodies continued to build. Her neck was sticky with blood where he had bitten her. River wiped the pool of blood from her neck and smeared it along the side of Jayne's face and neck. River bit into his swollen lower lip, sucking it into her mouth and taking in the copper tang of his own blood. Jayne hammered into her aching body harshly in response, holding her gaze with his smoldering red eyes and igniting every last shred of her soul on fire. It erased and heightened the burning in her veins and her vision clouded to crimson as she climaxed, yanking at his hair and crying out. Jayne thrust into her more brutally as he too came with a vicious howl. Jayne let the full weight of his body rest against her and they slid down the, arms wrapped around one another and their fingernails cutting into bruised skin. Jayne inhaled and exhaled heavily against her. River let her hands fall away from him and she cocked her head to the side to get a better look at him.

"I cannot stay here. I have to return to the barracks with R-28678." He tightened his hold around her and growled. She ran her finger through his hair, drawing circles lazily. He began to purr. River leaned up and nuzzled his chin with her nose. "I promise to come to you again when the darkness sleeps."

Jayne relinquished his hold on her and she slid away from him partially. "I may be less than I am now-more like you. You'll have to love my red."

He simply burrowed his head in her stomach. River smiled for the first time since being brought aboard the Shardak. "I could never stop loving you, either. Never."

His head darted up, his eyes blazing and he kissed her fiercely. Jayne heaved himself off of her and held out his hand to her, which she took to lever herself off the floor.

River righted what was left of her tattered clothing, shooting him a half-hearted glare. He smirked cruelly at her and she threw her arms around him suddenly, causing him to stumble and let out a bewildered grunt. She kissed and nipped his neck, pulling away just as abruptly as she had thrown herself at him. He blinked curiously at the now unfamiliar and unfathomable tenderness in her actions.

River turned away just as the first tears began to slide down her cheeks in hot rivulets, burning into her already fragile hope and turning into ash. She tensed, hoping to hide the sobs that threatened to rack her body and began to take her first steps towards the metal door when he grabbed a hold of her arm gently. River turned back to face him slowly. His eyes were clouded with memories she could still feel, smell, see vividly. He was fighting to remember. She felt her anger build. They had tried to permanently erase her by throwing him farther down the into the well. She threw herself at him once more, crying brokenly into his chest. He stood stock still for a minute then lift his arms and wrapped them around her. He remained motionless as she continued to cry, unblinking as he stared at the far wall and let her tears drench him and burn the claw marks on his chest. She laughed suddenly, mirthlessly. "It took nearly being destroyed for us to..."

He tightened his arms around her in wordless understanding. She wiped at her eyes and pulled away slowly. River planted a solitary kiss on his lips and turned away, wrapping on the metal door. R-28678 heaved it open slowly and she passed through the door with a long look over her shoulder. R-28678 swung the heavy door shut and followed River back down to the barracks. "I'm trusting you to watch over him and I will need you to bring me back nightly. The auction is in less than a week. Have the others been given the prescribed dosage?"

R-28678 nodded and River sighed. "Even after this is over, our wars will continue. Experience of survival is the key. Let's hope there is still humanity left inside us before this fight begins."

* * *

A/N: I think this chapter is somewhat self-explanatory, though if anyone isn't clear on anything, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. "Experience of survival is the key" is a lyric from the song "Gravity of Love" by Enigma, which I feel goes along with the tone of the River and Jayne's relationship. Beautiful song. But for the overall tone of the story, I'm going to have to say the "Requiem for a Dream" by Clint Mansell that was specially remixed trumps Enigma hands down. If anyone is familiar with "Requiem For a Tower" from LOTR: Two Towers trailer, that's essentially what is is though it is originally from "Requiem for a Dream". It's also been featured in trailers for "300", "Sunshine", "Zathura", and several trailers for episodes of "Lost". It's been my inspiration for the vast majority of this story due to it's dramatic and climactic nature and it's ability to make even the gory and nauseating elegant and breathtaking. You'd have to see "Requiem for a Dream" to understand what I mean if you haven't. It's not a movie for people with weak constitutions. Much like my story would be if I hadn't decided to tone it down and save all the best carnage for my next chapter. I highly suggest listening to this composition as it tends to unleash very creative, highly useful plot bunnies. 

Ali, I'm currently working on the 6th chapter of 24. It's taking longer than usual because it's being very tricky. I've also started working on a oneshot sequel to "Courting". My plot bunny Fluffy wouldn't shut up about it. To everyone else who has reviewed so far, thank you so much. I must admit, I was really worried that nobody would like this and that maybe I'm a little insane for thinking this could be possible in the Firefly 'verse.

Please review.


	7. Blood

**I own nothing. **

_This chapter is somewhat gory and violent. Be warned._

* * *

R-28678 watched as the Pigmen-ugly, boorish ex-soldiers who were nearing their own deaths-hung up the humans. They flailed in fear, somehow knowing they were about to feel death's icy fingers around their throats. The Pigmen hung them by their feet above the metal grating which covered the "River of Life" as Lord Malefice liked to call it. He watched as the Pigmen stepped back, drew their knives and slit each throat in one fell movement. They were called Pigmen for a reason. Once the bodies were bled dry they would either be incinerated or sent for processing to be made into food for the men. He never ate it and slowly R-28678 had begun to stop eating it. He watched the Pigmen poke and prod the bodies-not always with their hands. Even Reavers knew better than to mess with a corpse. The smell of death is like no other. It lingers, drawing death in like a black hole. It devours all. And R-28678 was about to let it run rampant. R-28678 trusted her. She could control him, control the death. He was god.

R-28678 watched for a minute as they played with the body of a dead girl, whooping and laughing. Once R-28678 was sure they were occupied enough that things could be carried out in an orderly fashion, he stepped back and held up his right arm, bending it at the elbow and gesturing for his men to move forward. One of the soldiers to his right snickered as they slunk toward the Pigmen. R-28678 turned on his heel and left, making his way quickly toward the testing area. There wasn't a single Ascillian lurking in the corridors-they were all at the Auction. He threw open the door to his room and stepped back, nodding at the red-eyed man. He stood and barreled forward coming to stand beside R-28678. R-28678 pointed in the direction they were to head, an unnecessary gesture as R-28678 could tell he knew which way to head by the way his nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. He'd had no idea his senses were that acute now.

* * *

The Reaver that greeted Mal was nowhere near as tall as the initial Reaver had been. It was somewhat crouched. Mal stepped forward quickly. Zoe was more hesitant. "Sir?"

"When they want ta fight us, Zoe, we'll know," Mal said as he watched his pilot and gunhand step forward as well. Inara's eyes darted around in open fear. "Mal, you can't possibly believe they won't attack at the first sign of-"

"I do. Got River's word. Her word's more good than most," he replied as they followed the Reavers. He could faintly hear the sound of Lord Arkham's voice bouncing off the bulwark of the ship.

"How will we know who we're fightin'?" Marcus asked. Mal gave him a grimace over his shoulder. "Oh, you'll know 'em when you see 'em."

* * *

Jayne pulled River up against him, cradling her against his body as he studied every inch of her. He gave her a swift, fierce kiss before pulling away. River ran her hand over his brow. "Ting wo men qu he zheng fu, wo de Jun. Ding wo men fang."

She turned from him as several soldiers stepped forward, each brandishing a separate piece of black armor. He kept his eyes focused on River as they began to carefully fit him with each piece. R-28678 handed him a large battle-axe. He took it, never looking at the ex-general.

River was standing on one of the rickety chairs. "First and second Battalion, you'll come in from the North Entrance to the Great Hall with us. Third and forth will come in from the south. Fifth, you will come in from the West. Sixth, you are posted in the East." She gave them all a hard look. "The humans are not be harmed unless you are given an order either from myself or the General. Clear?"

The soldiers gave out a series of enthusiastic cackles and River smiled. "Good. Prepare yourselves and await further instructions from R-28678."

The soldiers scattered, fighting amongst themselves over various weapons and suits of armor as they ripped off their metal collars; some with ease and some with needed force. River stepped down off of the chair and turned back to Jayne, smiling. She held up a large, black helm to him. Jayne took the helm with a grin before putting it on. River took up a sword off the table and twirled it, letting it cut through the air with a satisfying swoosh as R-28678 ordered the soldiers out.

* * *

The Reavers led the crew straight into the main chamber. Mal blinked when the Reaver in charge gestured for them to remain silent and wait. Beside him, Zoe inhaled sharply and he could feel Marcus shifting back and forth from each foot as they stared at the enormous mass of Ascillians that filled the main chamber. The domed ceiling carried Arkham's voice over the crowd from the alabaster platform he stood upon in the center of the room. There were several Ascillians whom he could only assume were of higher standing that lounged in high backed, thronelike chairs at the far end of the circular room behind the platform. Those that were to be auctioned were kneeling in front of the throned Ascillians at the edge of a red pool that curved around the platform Arkham was standing on with an Ascillian standing behind each of them. Mal didn't have to guess to know what the red liquid was; the stench of it filled the air. One of the humans being auctioned had the misfortune of not being bid on and the Ascillian behind him pushed his head over the pool and slight his throat.

Zoe hissed beside him and backed up a few steps when they heard it-the rhythmic sound of pounding filling the corridors. The Reaver soldiers who had escorted them, circled them, pushing them behind their bulky bodies to hide them from the Ascillians who had turned to find the source of the pounding. The Ascillians pushed themselves farther into the chamber, crowding together further and Mal had the distinct feeling he wasn't about to be in a war. He was going to witness a massacre. Soldiers of other humanoid races-those conquered by the Ascillians-reluctantly came to stand around their rulers, ready to defend them. The pounding had become deafening and several mangled guards were thrown into the chamber from the South entrance to the chamber followed by by Reavers. They stopped in the entrance, beating their armored fists against their chests as they waited. Soon, the East and West entrances were filled with soldiers. Mal and the rest of the crew were guided inside the chamber by the soldiers.

"What in the hell'er they waitin' for," Marcus growled. Inara gripped Mal's arm and gasped, causing them to turn back.

The last of the Reaver army lead by a gargantuan Reaver covered in thick, black armor and an imposing black great helm. He was flanked by River on the right and a very familiar reaver on the left. This was obviously their leader. The leader swung his battle-axe forward toward the Ascillians and roared, "Blood!"

The Reaver soldiers flew forward, screaming. The circle of Reavers surrounding them broke free into the mass of Ascillians to join the slaughter. Mal was so busy watching the ensuing mayhem he failed to notice the guard who crept up beside him until the swift movement of a large axe caught his attention and he found himself leveling his gun on the Reaver leader. The Reaver pulled his axe from the guard's skull, nodded briefly to Mal and stormed into the fray, swinging his axe broadly and clearing his way to the platform and a horrified and dumbfounded Lord Arkham. Mal turned his gun on the closest Ascillian and fired.

The Ascillians guarding the humans for auction promptly slit the throats of their charges once the Reaver army attacked and took up position around the Mark to defend them. River and R-28678 sliced through them, the former with percision and the latter with brute force. They, along with several other soldiers, fell on the Mark, brutally. River lowered her sword over the throat of the last Mark member, pressing him to lean his head back over the edge of the pool. "You're supposed to be dead," he whimpered.

"Long live the King," she whispered, causing his eyes to widened just before she flicked her wrist and let her sword cut through his neck. River darted around to the the steps of the platform, cutting down an Ascillian who had managed to come up behind Zoe unnoticed. Zoe turned toward her and shot to the left and right of her, both bending back when an inept Ascillian civilian swung a sword in between them and they both stepped up onto the steps. Zoe was able to spot every single crew member, each one flanked by several Reavers who fought beside them, guarding them almost.

When Kaylee shrunk back from an oncoming assailant, one of the soldiers stepped forward, impaling himself on the tip of her assailant's sword. The soldier ripped off his helm and screamed in the Ascillian's face, pulling himself up onto the blade. The attacker cowered back as the Reaver lifted his arm and plunged his own blade into the Ascillian's neck just below the collarbone and slashed outward. The Ascillian fell and the Reaver soldier tore the sword from his torso, howling. He fell to his knees just as another Ascillian moved toward him and raised his sword and Kaylee screamed as she fired her gun at him, hitting him in the chest several times. Kaylee pulled the Reaver to his feet shakily and the two moved on.

Marcus and Mal were surrounded. One of the Ascillians surrounding them moved to strike and R-28678 ran him through with an ornate pole-arm, tossing him aside. The Ascillians turned their attention to R-28678 and both Mal and Marcus took the opportunity to fight back, beating their opponents back and grabbing up weapons as they went. Mal and Marcus moved off to help Inara. The screaming died down as the last Ascillian fell. Kaylee, Simon, and Alan came to join them in the crowd and Mal looked up toward the platform where he had last seen Zoe as they all fought to catch their breath. They hurried to the side of the platform and Mal's blood froze when he noticed Lord Arkham slinking up the steps at the back of the platform toward the pair.

"Zoe, River," Mal screamed as he pushed past the bewildered reavers. His warning went unheard as the victory cries from the Reaver's drown out all other sounds. Lord Arkham was poised right behind them with a sword, preparing to run River through when Zoe finally caught sight of him. "River," Zoe cried, reaching to pull her out of the way. The Reaver leader pushed River into Zoe just a Lord Arkham struck and they fell. Lord Arkham's sword caught the leader under the plate front of his armor and he pushed the blade on through, twisting it before pulling back and stabbing him with it a second time under the arm. River scrambled to her feet just as Lord Arkham shoved him back over the edge of the platform and into the pool. The Reaver soldiers screamed in unison and moved to storm the platform. Lord Arkham dropped his sword and pulled a knife from his robes, grabbing River by the throat and pressing the blade just under her chin. The Reavers halted, hissing.

"How does it feel knowing he died moments before you will?"

The Reavers began snickering and Mal caught something move just behind Lord Arkham. The Reaver leader surfaced from the pool of blood slowly, his helm gone. He rose up, creeping up the steps to stand behind Lord Arkham, with blazing, rage filled eyes. River smiled cruelly up at her captor. "You forget Lord Arkham," she gasped, "not all creations can be so easily destroyed."

She let her gaze flicker over his shoulder and he grabbed Lord Arkham by the throat, causing him to release River and drop the dagger. He tilted his head to the side and lifted Lord Arkham off the ground. He cracked the joints in his right hand, flexing his fingers before placing them over Lord Arkham's heart and then he began to press slowly at first. At the sound of his ribs and sternum cracking, Lord Arkham howled in pain and he thrust his hand into the Ascillian's chest cavity forcefully. He ripped his heart from his chest still beating, and shoved it into the dying Lord's own mouth before releasing him. Lord Arkham fell to the floor and he breathed out heavily, shifting his gaze to River. He reached his arm out to her, taking a step forward. River placed her hand in his, exhaling deeply.

R-28678 retrieved his great helm and battle-axe and handed them over. River helped Zoe to stand. Zoe looked up at the blood stained Reaver leader and nodded before finally recognizing him. "Jayne?"

He tilted his head to the side, studying her, trying to remember. He quirked a smile at her when he was finally able to. Jayne turned back to River then, staring at her intently for several minutes. River nodded. She stepped forward to R-28678. "We need all the pilots and mechanics to begin to prep for return. Are there any test subjects left alive?"

R-28678 nodded. River sighed. "Have some of the men bring them here so we may assess as to what must be done with them."

R-28678 nodded again left to carry out his orders, howling incoherently at the other soldiers. Several followed him out of the chamber obediently. River turned to her former crew mates. "I know we have asked much of you already, but we still require your help."

"What do you need," Zoe asked. River sighed with relief. "I know you are all uncomfortable being around us, but-"

"Us," Mal asked. River lowered her eyes and nodded. "Us."

Mal strode forward quickly and jerked her chin up to look into her eyes. There were flecks of red in her irises that had once been the color of chocolate. "Wo de ma, River, what have you done?"

"What I deemed necessary," River replied, "had you been in my position, you would not have hesitated to do the same."

Mal nodded mutely before saying, "Whatever you two need, River."

* * *

A/N: Can I just say, that I am really sorry this is almost over? Besides my "Twenty-four" series, this has been, by far, my favorite story to write. Not only has it been challenging, it's been fun to write something so dark. There is only one chapter and an epilogue left. I've included a picture of the battle-axe Jayne carries on my profile. However his would be made of black metal. I would have included a picture of the great helm he wears but the closest thing I could find to what I was going for was Sauron's helm from LOTR but black and with one pair of horns on it. Oh, what the hell, I'll put a picture of that up as well. Also, don't know if anyone noticed because nobody said anything. But I named the new pilot Alan, after Alan Tudyk and the new hired gun after the character Adam Baldwin played on Angel.

As far as the last chapter goes, it will be about Serenity's crew-mainly Simon and Kaylee-and their feelings on everything and the reavers. Jayne, as a Reaver, will not speak again in the last two installments. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions. Also, I refrained from calling him Jayne for the majority of this chapter because to the crew, he is a reaver and they don't recognize him and this is revolved more around them and River. I wanted it to be about their interaction with the Reavers during the battle.

"Ting wo men qu he zheng fu, wo de Jun. Ding wo men fang." means, roughly translated, "Let us go forth and conquer, my Lord. Set us free."

Please review and feel free to ask questions if you have any at all.


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